This book was PERFECT for me. I struggled with the rating because I really, really loved it. I read it while we were on our Disney cruise over spring break, and it was the perfect vacation book. There was just enough Felicity to make me happy, but not make it feel like weird fan-fiction or anything. Someone who hasn’t seen the series would still love this great coming of age story.

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This book was such a good college asked read. The last book set at college I could relate to was Fangirl and so imagine my surprise when I saw parts of myself reflected in the pages in the form of Caroline. I understood her introversion. I got when she wanted to hide away and I just wanted to hug her.

We need more books like this one. I may not have lied and made up friends to my mom but I did think college would be easier somehow and a chance to reinvent myself. I didn't manage it but I did succeed in figuring out who I was and this is exactly what happens here.

It was a short read that showed a different side to college and I really enjoyed it.

3.5 stars

“What’s wring with reality?”
“Nothing,” I say in a small voice. Unless your reality sucks. Then what’s wrong with wanting something more or better?

This was a super fun, super quick read. I love that we’re seeing so many more college YA books this year and I thought Finding Felicity was an excellent addition. I thought Caroline was a relatable MC and it’s was so easy to follow her just trying to live her life - goingo college, crushing on a guy, dealing with awkwardness and insecurities. I also really liked the seeing Caroline in therapy and talking about her social anxiety and introvert personality, I felt like it was very respectful to her feelings. I liked that we get to know so many characters (Lexi, Liam, Del, Jordan, Tory)- we don’t just see them in passing, we spend time with them and grow to care about them like Caroline does. Caroline’s intense fandom love of Felicity was also really fun to read about. One thing that did annoy me, was I felt like Caroline’s mom really made the whole situation about her instead of Caroline’s feelings. Overall this was an enjoyable contemporary.

I received a copy of the book from Simon & Schuster BFYR via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fun, quick and easy read. We get to follow the main character on a journey and that drew me in. Plus, I love college stories and this one definitely hit that for me. 3.5 stars!!!

“What’s wrong with reality?”
“Nothing,” I say in a small voice. Unless your reality sucks. Then what’s wrong with wanting something more or better?”

CW's: Underage drinking

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

This book actually meant a lot to me. I knew going into it, that this could be a very impactful book, as it's about a girl entering college who is extremely shy and socially anxious. She has not been able to make friends in high school and now is desperately trying to have the life she has always wanted, inspired by her favorite show Felicity. (which is an actual show, that I had never heard about before!)

💗 I could relate to Caroline so very much. (kind of a bit spooky that we almost have the same name) Of course I wasn't quite in the same situation. Caroline actually invented friends to not be so alone in a town where no one was really seeing her. I wouldn't have gone as far as she did (taking fictional characters from her favorite 90's show and compulsory lying about them, making up stories, is definitely not healthy and nothing I have personally done), but I often catch myself calling people I'm friendly with in university "friends" because it's easier and makes me feel less alone. Even though Caroline's actions in high school might have seemed extreme, I understood where she was coming from. It's hard to make friends when you're shy and cannot put yourself out there as much as you would want to. That also showed when she got her chance at college. In general, I related to her being a fangirl and this one show (called Felicity) being her savior and safe space when she felt all alone. It really gripped me, because I tend to turn to show and books to make myself feel less alone. (It's pretty much how I get through times when things feel pretty sad)

Relatable Things! (sadly without quotes, as I didn't have the time to take note of all of them, maybe in a reread)

- having to go to events alone and feeling a bit like a loner
- feeling like everyone else has already built groups and found their people within a day, without you being able to find someone in return
- being unsure where to sit, because of the already formed groups
- generally being awkward and having a hard time answering simple questions, as your brain is a bit slow to catch up and form an appropriate response
- feeling even a little rejection very hard
- just wanting to crawl into your bed and watch your show, instead of having to go out there
- group games with lots of pressure being the absolute nightmare

💗 I also felt for her all the time. We see very clearly where Caroline's character arc is headed. She is trying to be this new version of herself, completely different from who she was. Caroline thinks she can be like Felicity and be accepted for her awkward self immediately. But life isn't like a show, it's not perfect and things don't go according to plan. So Caroline is trying to become someone she's not, trying to fit in at parties she hates and talk to people who don't understand, just so she can have her happily ever after. Of course there's also a boy: Liam, who she kind of followed here, because he's supposed to be the Ben to her Felicity. Caroline thinks they are meant to be (because he was at least nice to her in high school), but I never trusted him to begin with, because she was idolizing him all the time and never really seeing his flaws at all. This was too perfect to become true and she is still too hung up on becoming the new her.

It didn't surprise me that Liam turned out to be a major dick, who showed her the cold shoulder, when they spent a night cuddling and Caroline though this could be their start. He was struggling with beginning Uni and therefore didn't have problems using her. Caroline was still so hung up, but I was proud that she managed to pill herself free from his toxic influence.)

💗 In the end I was proud of who Caroline was becoming. She's trying to join a few clubs she actually cares about in order to find people to connect with that are more like her. She tries to befriend girls in her dorm and just do a movie marathon instead of forcing herself to attend parties she hates. Caroline is beginning to understand that she needs to put herself out there, but not for things that she knows are not for her. She needs to pick out what works for her and be open for connecting with people like her in order to become a strong person, not by becoming completely different. That was very inspiring to read about.

💗 I also loved all the friendships that she formed. Things between her roommate Lexie and her are pretty rocky at first, as the other girl doesn't want them to be friends like Caroline had already planned to be happening. However, Lexie has her own problems that keep her this distances and as Caroline begins to understand her, the two become a team, friends completely different. There are ups and downs with them, but Lexie pushes her to try out new things and is there to listen, after things get cleared up. I also loved how Caroline connected with the other girls in her dorm in the end and everyone comes together to help her!

IN CONCLUSION: Finding Felicity meant a lot to me, because the main character was so relatable and pretty much captured how I felt when I entered my first year of university. I also loved her character arc of self-discovery and how she managed to find friends without having to change who she was. I love having YA stories set in college, it was so refreshing to read about. This is really great for fans of Fangirl!

The best thing about Finding Felicity was undoubtedly the plot. It was very relatable, very very relatable. Maybe it was more relatable to me because I am of her age, and the condition she is in, before she moved to the college or first few days after joining the college is something I had faced(maybe not much of the before joining condition though, but definitely the after joining condition was something I had faced when I first joined college). Finding Felicity was such a read which kept on reminding me of myself every now and then.

Finding Felicity is a story of finding oneself, of making peace with yourself. You are important and you can only save yourself, make your life better. This is one message that is given through the book, and I think this is something we should all remember.

Caroline’s character was obviously very relatable and I really loved her. Other than Caroline I really loved other small characters too, especially Lexi, who was not very friendly first but eventually she became one of Caroline’s best friends.

Had to add this paragraph!!!If you had not guessed till now (which I am sure you have), I should tell you this I absolutely loved this YA tale of Caroline, it was really awesome. I loved it a lot.

Final words

I think people of all age should read this book, because I feel that someway or the other everyone would be able to relate to Finding Felicity and Caroline and would totally enjoy this book.

As much as I found the main character Caroline annoying i enjoyed the read. I loved how it really reminded me of the show Felicity. So it did have that nostalgia feeling for me. Liam was so unlikable and did nothing to redeem himself like Ben has in Felicity so there was the difference between book and show. I did root foe Caroline and Im glad everything worked out at the end.

I needed this book more than I knew I needed it